


Next Generation

by technofinch (SnailArmy)



Category: Magic: The Gathering (Card Game)
Genre: Career Day, Children, M/M, Modern Era, hekara shows up in chapter 2, it's the elementary school board au no one asked for, many other characters mentioned in passing, maybe some background jace/vraska, not their children, ral zarek gets bullied, what DO the selesnya do
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-19
Updated: 2019-09-19
Packaged: 2020-10-24 09:30:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20703752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnailArmy/pseuds/technofinch
Summary: Career Day has arrived at Ravnica Elementary, and Ral Zarek isn't exactly thrilled to be in attendance. Until he meets Teysa Karlov's proxy/right-hand-man, Tomik Vrona, that is. Can the two of them find a way to balance their work lives, conflicting interests, and possibly a budding romance? (If you read the tags, you'll notice that the answer is yes!)The second-most self-indulgent fic I have ever written. Does the word "himbo" qualify this for a T rating?





	Next Generation

Ral Zarek found himself sat in a chair that was far too small, watching a quiet, commanding man in a blue suit address the assembled children. Jace Beleren had found himself principal of Ravnica Elementary just a year or so ago, by means of a convoluted set of circumstances Ral still refused to elaborate on. Nevertheless, he had taken the job, and between his long absences he almost did it well. 

“Now children, I am pleased to introduce Ravnica’s very first career day! I have invited all ten school board members to speak with you about their professions. I encourage you to ask plenty of questions and start thinking about what you want to be when you grow up. Without further ado… Miss Lavinia.” Beleren took his place beside the teacher, a woman in a grey sweater, and Lavinia walked to where he had been standing. 

The children were quiet and attentive, for now, but Ral could only wonder how long that would last. The only time he had ever paid attention in school was when something was exploding in science class. His current occupation may be less flashy, but the wonder and excitement were still there. Ral took great pride in his analytical mind and quick wit, both of which had led him to great success in his chosen profession. And hey, the rugged good looks surely didn’t hurt. By the time his attention returned to the classroom, Lavinia had finished her speech and was already taking questions. _Some things never change._ With a small smile he tuned back in to his surroundings. 

“Well, I’m a lawer, not a judge, so even if I was on prosecution, I wouldn’t be able to give someone the death penalty.” Several hands went down. Maybe kids were still kids after all. 

After Lavinia went Tajic, deputy sheriff, who explained in great detail how he kept everyone safe (even though Ral had seen the reports, and things weren’t looking good for these kids). Ral looked around the classroom at the other assembled board members. Nearly everyone was in attendance, save Hekara (what did she even do for a living?) and Teysa Karlov, branch manager for the local bank. There was, however, one face he didn’t recognize. It was a soft face, and handsome, all brown hair and hazel eyes. The polo shirt he was wearing bore the Orzhov Syndicate logo, so Ral could only assume he had been sent in her place. _They would have to have a conversation later,_ he thought, as he watched the man fiddle with his glasses. 

Even more surprising than the children’s behavior was that of his fellow board members. This far into a typical meeting, they would be at one another’s throats over some petty dispute or another. Funding, curriculum, even the matter of which teacher should receive which meaningless award. The presence of the children and their united purpose seemed to be keeping everyone civil, with a minimum of baleful glances between warring parties. Zegana, the high school science teacher, may have made a few pointed comments about GMOs after Emmara’s lecture about organic farming, but that was hardly the worst Ral had seen from them. Besides, it was good for children to hear multiple points of view. 

After Vraska’s unnecessarily graphic description of the embalming process and Nikya’s exhaustive list of all the things that can kill you in nature, there was only one more board member standing between Ral and his own presentation. Etrata, one of the quieter and less influential members. She was a mailwoman in town and had vehemently denied any accusations of tampering with the mail. Ral figured she was telling the truth, if only because she had more than enough blackmail material just from the things she must have seen through the windows as she made her rounds. One of the many reasons why Ral had invested in blackout shades after moving to the suburb of Ravnica. 

All too soon Etrata sat down, and Ral stood to face the class. He ran a shaking hand through his hair in a show of faux confidence -- he was never good with public speaking. Sure, he was on television nearly every day, but that’s because he was talking to cameras, not crowds. _These were kids though, right? How bad could they be?_

Ral found his answer as soon as he opened his mouth to talk. A hand shot up from the back, and without prompting a child shouted “You’re the guy on TV who lies about the weather, right? My daddy says you’re a hack!” 

The sound of Jace’s stifled laughter from behind him reminded Ral of what exactly was at stake and he shot a probably-subtle glance to the other board members as he started on damage control.  
“Believe it or not, meteorology is an extremely complicated science, involving nearly infinite variables, most of which we haven’t even identified, let alone measured and studied for their effect on weather systems. Furthermore-”

It was no use. The train had left the tracks. Half of the board members were looking at him with amusement, the other half with derision. The cute brunette was nearly unreadable, but a nagging voice told Ral it was pity he saw behind those damn glasses. Another child took this opportunity to speak up. “Why did you say it would rain Thursday? We cancelled our picnic, but it was sunny all day! You ruined my birthday!” 

Well, shit. Ral was rapidly losing any control he had over the classroom, even as he tried to explain in very technical terms the intricacies of weather forecasting and what a percent chance of rain actually meant. Beleren was making no attempt to hide his laughter and the kids had devolved to talking amongst themselves about the hapless Channel 4 weatherman standing before them. Ral could only make out a few words, but he was pretty sure third graders shouldn’t know the word “himbo.” 

A warm, firm voice came from somewhere on the other side of the classroom. “Children, please,” it intoned, and the children listened. “Mr. Zarek has taken time out of his busy schedule, the same as all of us, and you should give him the same respect.” It was the cute brunette. Ral could feel himself start to blush. It was probably anger. _These kids would listen to some bourgeois twink, but not to me?_ Yeah, definitely anger, not anything else. He watched the young man gently take charge of the classroom with an authoritative voice as soft as honey, sweet enough you didn’t even notice yourself obeying his every command. Finally free of the children’s attention, Ral slunk back to his seat.


End file.
